The sun’s out and swimming is in. It’s that time of the year where we can have a legitimate excuse to skip the gym and still get our workout in. Swimming is an extremely healthy sport that not only helps you stay in shape, but it also promotes a healthy and happy mind.
We’re all looking for ways to get our body summer-ready, and swimming is an exercise that will help you achieve your goals of building muscles, strengthening the core, and improving your flexibility.
A good hour of swimming exercises can burn about 400 calories and help you keep the weight off, all while promoting heart health and being gentle on the joints. However, another important benefit that comes with swimming is that it promotes mental health.
Swimming is an exercise that puts a smile on your face. When you make plans to go swimming, it’s usually with a couple of friends, or when it’s a beautiful day outside.
Nowadays there are indoor pools to maintain your swim routine even if it’s raining or cold outside. Either way, when you exercise via swimming, you are releasing endorphins that relax the mind and boost energy levels that will keep your body and mind active.
Swimming and Mental Health
We know how swimming can benefit us physically, but how can this exercise boost our mental health?
There are many mental health benefits that come with swimming:
- Reduces depression
- Relieves stress
- Reduces anxiety
- Boost energy levels
- Relaxes the mind
- Improves mood
- Increases overall satisfaction
Since swimming is a form of exercise, this sport has the ability to release feel-good hormones known as endorphins, which come with doing exercise.
1. Reduces Feelings of Stress and Anxiety
Studies show that professional swimmers and individuals who practice swimming on a regular basis are known to experience less tension, reduced feelings of depression, and less anger.
In today’s busy world, we’re all exposed to stressful environments on a daily basis. Whether it’s at work, school, or our relationships, it is inevitable that one of these factors contribute to our stress levels.
Swimming is known to induce feelings of relaxation and relieve you from feelings of anxiety that develop due to stress.
2. Promotes Sleep
Stress is extremely detrimental to your body and can lead to many harmful health problems in the future. When you experience high amounts of stress, your body is unable to enjoy a regular sleeping pattern due to the tension in the mind.
Swimming can help your muscles relax and promote healthy blood flow throughout the body, including the brain. This will trigger the nerves to relax that will help you put your mind to ease in the process.
A good swim session can promote a stress-free mind that can combat insomnia and help you get the good night’s sleep that you deserve.
3. Improves Mood
Swimming can help you push away all the negative energy that surrounds you and help you forget about what is causing you tension in the first place.
A regular workout routine that involves swimming will leave you with an improved mood and a much-needed energy boost that will stick with you throughout the day.
Sign Up for Classes Today
It’s never too late to learn how to swim! There are many classes available for adults and children who don’t know how to swim just yet. Swimming can be a fun way to get your workout routine in and an important way to keep you feeling happy.
The content of this Website is for is for informational purposes only, is general in nature and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and does not constitute professional advice. The information on this Website should not be considered as complete and does not cover all diseases, ailments, physical conditions, or their treatment. You should consult with your physician before beginning any exercise, weight loss, or health care program and/or any of the beauty treatments.
References:
What Swimming Can Do For Your Mental Health… (n.d.). Retrieved from http://bmhmag.com/what-swimming-can-do-for-mental-health/
B. (2016, October 18). Swimming improves mental health | How swimming eases the mind. Retrieved from http://www.swimming.org/justswim/swimming-improves-mental-health/
